Order of Glory 2nd class real or fake?

[polishpotato]

Hey guys,
im not a very experienced collector and I was wondering if this order of glory 2nd cl. was legitimate. Any opinions would great

[Bill Garvy]

It is, in my opinion. and based on the very poor photos/scans, not "legitimate".

[ericfg]

I think it's possibly good, although I'm having a problem with the presence of 'serifs' in the numerals.

[polishpotato]

Thanks, Ive heard these are often faked as well.

[polishpotato]

Any other opinions welcome

[Watchdog]

It is not, in my opinion. and based on the very poor photos/scans, not "legitimate".

I am not keen on this one either. As stated, the pics are not good enough but one thing you can check easily is the gold plating of the central medallion. These are often faked by adding gold plating to a 3rd class. Look at the areas of the central medallion where the detail is worn flat. If the gold is present there it is definately a fake because the gold is on top of the wear.

Most of these should be obviously thinner than other grades but this is not bomb proof as an indicator because the 2nd class type 3 is called "thick" and is the same thickness as the other grades. Therefore if it is "thick" it could still be OK but if it is "thin" it is almost certainly OK (accepting other indicators are also correct).

The presence of serifs is not wrong per se on this type which should be hand engraved but I agree that these numerals do look "unusual".

Also, the reverse of this example appears in this picture to have a textured surface which I do not believe is correct.

Overall I think I would walk away from this one. It is a scarce medal but not the rarest.

I hope this helps.

Regards

Mark

[polishpotato]

Yeah it seems a little suspicious. I think I'll keep searching. Thanks for all the help

[polishpotato]

It was also suspiciously cheap.

[Watchdog]

It was also suspiciously cheap.

Oh what a give away!!

As the saying goes "All that glitters is not gold" or "If it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck and looks like a duck; the chances are it's a bloody duck!" and I get the impression you had already noticed the webbed feet!!!

Regards

Mark

PS You did the right thing asking here as it will often save money on dodgy purchases and the forum is worth a fortune on that basis alone. A subscription to the forum Gold Membership is in the same price bracket as a black wound badge or Mutterkreuz and I reckon is worth much more

[Bill Garvy]

If you don't mind my asking, what was the price? Current market value of a legitimate Order of Glory, 2nd Class, is $750+.